Nigeria may soon witness a major political restructuring as the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Constitution Review has approved the creation of six additional states across the country.
The move, which seeks to promote equity and balanced development, marks one of the most significant steps toward expanding the federation in decades.
The approval came at the end of a two-day retreat in Lagos, co-chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
The committee resolved that each of the six geopolitical zones, North West, North East, North Central, South West, South South, and South East will get one new state to ensure fairness and national balance.
If endorsed by both chambers, Nigeria’s number of states will rise from 36 to 42. The joint committee reviewed 69 constitution amendment bills during the session, including 55 proposals for new states, two on boundary adjustments, and 278 related to local government creation reflecting rising demands for administrative autonomy and closer governance.
To ensure a transparent process, the committee constituted a subcommittee chaired by Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, to determine which areas will host the new states. Members pledged a thorough and impartial review of all state creation requests submitted to the National Assembly, assuring that every geopolitical zone would be treated with equity.
